Participants of AFA's Remember Together campaign recreating a childhood memory

NEW YORK: The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and Momentum Communications Group are putting a new spin on the throwback photo to generate awareness of the degenerative disease.

AFA retained Momentum Communications for the Remember Together campaign, which supports the nonprofit’s increased offering of free memory screenings from once a year to year-round.

"The whole idea of the campaign is to get people thinking about memory by recreating old photos," said Jim Miller, president of Momentum Communications.

Momentum started work on the campaign about three weeks ago, which includes launching the site remembertogetherafa.org and handling "guerilla activity" in New York City, said Miller. For the New York events, people were invited to take photos evocative of past experiences by choosing between a beach or prom theme. The agency provided props for the photo shoots.

Miller said in only a few hours, more than 150 people had their photos taken, and the events garnered roughly 30,000 Twitter impressions in three days. The firm wants to catch everybody’s attention, regardless of their risk factor, because Miller said it’s going to be family and friends who motivate each other to schedule screenings.

Charles Fuschillo, CEO of AFA, said Alzheimer's is "becoming more recognized and prevalent in today’s society," as it can even affect individuals in their 30s.

He added that screenings are something people can add to their daily routines, whether it’s at one of the foundation’s sites across the country or through their primary care physician.

The Remember Together campaign steers clear of any scare tactics, explained Miller. Instead, it aims to show the importance of preserving fond memories.

November 18 is AFA National Screening Day, and while even the Empire State Building will glow teal on that day – the color of Alzheimer’s awareness – Miller said the campaign will continue throughout the year.

Every day is important to the foundation’s mission, said Fuschillo. The campaign extends to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as traditional media. Anyone can get involved in the campaign by voting for the recreated "throwback" photos on remebertogetherafa.org or using the hashtag #RememberTogether, said Miller.

Screenings are free, confidential, only last about 10 minutes, and can tell a person whether he or she needs follow-up care, he added.

Momentum won the work after a competitive review. Fuschillo declined to say how many firms submitted a proposal. He said the foundation considered Momentum to be "creative, innovative, [and] progressive."

The current contract is slated to last until next fall, he said. Budget information was not disclosed.